Olsson to build new home at west Omaha’s Heartwood Preserve, kicking off activity at ‘The Row’

OMAHA — A four-story building anchored by engineering firm Olsson is set to rise at the sprawling Heartwood Preserve in west Omaha, launching a section within the preserve envisioned as its pedestrian-centric town center.

The broader Heartwood Preserve site spans 500 acres near 144th Street and West Dodge Road. It has been in the making since 2017.

Created on one of the largest tracts of undeveloped land within Nebraska’s biggest city, it has become home to several new corporate campuses, a network of trails and parks, an assisted living facility and other homes.

Back in 2020, Lanoha Real Estate Co. announced it would develop a 40-acre, $500 million town center — dubbed “The Row” — within the preserve. It was to become the most bustling piece of the former Boys Town farm, a sort of downtown with pop-up shops, dining places, apartments, hotel rooms, outdoor big screen TV and entertainment.

As announced Tuesday, Olsson will occupy the bulk of the first piece to materialize at The Row.

Olsson is building the planned 116,000-square-foot facility in partnership with Lanoha.

“This building is a testament to Olsson’s long record of growth in Omaha,” said Brian Chaffin, Olsson’s North Central geography leader.

The firm will move about 300 employees from its current Aksarben Village home in central Omaha onto the second and third floors of the new facility. 

The first floor is reserved for retailers. Olsson eventually could expand to the fourth floor, the company said. Employees will have access to attached parking via a skywalk.

Groundbreaking is planned this fall, with Olsson’s Omaha workforce projected to relocate to its new offices in the summer of 2026.

Scott Tricker, Olsson’s Omaha leader, expects the move to create “an even better” work environment for area employees. 

“The new building will help us showcase our welcoming culture and allow us to continue to attract and retain top talent,” Tricker said.

Nelsen Partners is the architect for the building. Engineering services are provided by Olsson, which across the U.S. has more than 2,000 employees that also offer design, planning, environment and technology services.

Stephen Harris, director of development for Lanoha, said other development and building announcements for The Row will follow the Olsson announcement.

He said Lanoha is taking an “urban approach” to the development of the  town center, which he expects to be a regional attraction.

Of the length of time it has taken to get the first piece of The Row off the ground, Harris said, “It takes time to do good work, and developing and implementing a national-caliber master plan is certainly no exception.”

Lanoha Real Estate declined to give the price of the building it is developing in partnership with Olsson. Harris said the project “represents a substantial investment and we expect it to become emblematic of our vision to elevate Class-A quality in the multi-tenant office market.”